Tagged album review

By Thomas Johnson, November 3 2017 — Prior to 2013’s Cadillactica, Big K.R.I.T. released a blistering mission statement called “Mt. Olympus.” It was advertised as a response to Kendrick Lamar’s infamous diss verse on “Control” from earlier that year. But just as Kendrick didn’t really diss K.R.I.T. on “Control,” “Mt. Olympus” wasn’t really a rebuttal….

By Thomas Johnson, November 2 2017 — One of the most shudder-inducing phrases in the modern lexicon is “new Wu.” Despite achieving mythic status after emerging from the depths of Shaolin, the fabled Wu-Tang Clan have struggled to produce a truly great album since 2007’s 8 Diagrams. The eight remaining original swordsmen are no longer…

By Thomas Johnson, October 31, 2017 — Your mind can be a dangerous place to be lost in. Too much time trapped between your thoughts can render even the hardest men to tapioca. The notion that the darkest path snakes inward sits at the gloomy centre of The OOZ, the first album from King Krule…

By Matt Hume, October 31 2017 — Tough Age, a Vancouver duo turned Toronto trio, are an unmissable staple of Canadian garage punk. Their fuzzy, bubblegum and nonchalant sounds have graced the internet since 2013. Their Bandcamp bio states that they make “music for us and for you if you want it.” Despite a ‘whatever’ attitude…

By Thomas Johnson, October 10 2017 — Los Angeles artist Open Mike Eagle once coined the genre ‘art rap,’ a loose term used to classify the avant-garde, often challenging brand of hip-hop stemming from fringe beat scenes. The music generally revolves around eclectic and unorthodox production and dense lyricism. Eagle’s fifth effort, Brick Body Kids Still…

By Miriam Johnston, October 9 2017 — Calgary-based Polish musician Valiska has called his new album, On Pause, his most personal work. Valiska describes the eight-track ambient album as “charting a journey of loss and upheaval.” This album appears to be easy listening at first, but unlike some ambient music, each song demands your attention….

By Matt Hume, October 9 2017 — Very few Canadian artists are able to claim a spot on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist with their debut album. In 2012, Toronto-based post-hardcore trio Metz became one of those few. While their 2015 follow-up, II, didn’t collect accolades in the same capacity, it solidified their place as…

By Matt Hume, September 6 2017 — Over the course of his career, Rory Ferreira has called himself many names. Some know him as Scallops Hotel, but most recognize him simply as Milo. Since his twin EPs in 2013, Things That Happen at Day and Things That Happen at Night, Milo has honed a style…

By Scott Christensen, August 17 2017 — Two years after releasing his last album, Cherry Bomb, Tyler, the Creator comes full force with Flower Boy, his best project yet. Having improved his rapping and production since his 2011 debut, Goblin, Flower Boy blossoms as a well-structured and original project. The album opens with Tyler’s signature…

By Rachel Woodward, March 21 2017 — British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran recently emerged from his year-long hiatus with his third full-length album, ÷. The album features singles “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill,” both of which have bombarded radio stations for the past few months, but also includes 14 tracks that both old and…